New E. Coli Case Related To XL Foods Beef Recall

A hamburger made from ground beef containing what is derisively referred to as "pink slime," or what the meat industry calls "lean, finely textured beef," is ready for tasting Thursday, March 15, 2012 in Concord, N.H. Under a change announced Thursday by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, districts that get food through the government's school lunch program will be allowed to say no to ground beef containing the ammonia-treated filler and choose filler-free meat instead. The low-cost filler is made from fatty meat scraps that are heated to remove most of the fat, then treated with ammonium hydroxide gas to kill bacteria such as E. coli and salmonella. (AP Photo/Jim Cole)

EDMONTON - A new case of E. coli has been linked to the XL Foods Inc. plant in Alberta at the centre of a massive beef recall.

The Public Health Agency of Canada says the latest case is in Quebec, bringing the total number of confirmed cases across the country to 17.

The agency says the person became ill last month and has since recovered.

The announcement comes a week after the Canadian Food Inspection Agency gave the plant the green light to resume operating after being closed since Sept. 27.

Workers began slaughtering cattle Monday at the plant in Brooks, but there is no word yet on when the beef can be sold to retailers or consumers.

Management of the plant has been taken over by JBS USA, an American subsidiary of a Brazilian company.